Hr Functions of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital

HR Functions of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital Lucinda West HSA320 November 12, 2012 Professor Dorothy Moore Strayer University Introduction The organization chosen is St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital (SJCRH). St. Jude is the first institution established for the sole purpose of conducting basic and clinical research and treatment into catastrophic childhood diseases, mainly cancer. SJCRH opened on February 4, 1962 and was founded by the late entertainer Danny Thomas. Its mission is to find cures for children with cancer and other catastrophic diseases through research and treatment.St. Jude was the first institution to develop a cure for sickle cell disease with a bone marrow transplant and has one of the largest pediatric sickle cell programs in the country. St. Jude has developed protocols that have helped push overall survival rates for childhood cancers from less than 20 percent when the hospital opened in 1962 to 80 percent today. St. Jude researchers and doctors are treating children with pediatric AIDS, as well as using new drugs and therapies to fight infections. No family ever pays St. Jude for anything (Hospital).Challenges Based on the data I have collected, some of the possible challenges SJCRH can face as a result of Harassment, Increase in pay, and Labor Unions are the following. There is a credibility gap between Human Resources, Executive Management, and the other organizational departments. There are people in HR with a variety of background education and skill sets that are not necessarily specialized towards the field they currently hold. Individuals come into HR management with their past experiences as a psychologist or clerical supervisor to name a few.The previous experience they bring to the table normally sets the tone for their current outlook in HR. As a result of the changes to the Americans with Disabilities Act, persons with disabilities can expect to work in safe surroundings without being discriminated against on the basis of age, gender, race, religion national origin, or personal preference. Specialists in compensation monitor an organization’s wage structure to ensure that pay equity exists throughout an organization.They recommend changes in the wage structure that are consistent with pay changes in the local community, industry, and individual occupations as necessary (Fallon & McConnell, 2007). Line managers believe that HR hinders progress by frequently obstructing what a department manager wants or needs to do. HR utilizes the policy and regulations to further pad their case as to why certain things requested by the line staff cannot occur (Fallon & McConnell, 2007). An executive level of management has a say in the payroll system. This arrangement is uncommon since this practice is commonly a part of finance or the HR department.Naturally there is going to be some form of conflict. Additional challenges in managing the relationship between HR and Labor Unions are, labor relations becomes a part of HR when there is an issue that has to be resolved. Labor unions do not see HR as a cohesive unit that should even play a part in their bargaining process. They see HR as the enemy. In HR’s defense they hold and know the policies, regulations, & bylaws that everyone (Labor Unions & HR) has to abide by in order for it to a fair and just decision regarding the employee(s). Impact of Rules/LawsTherefore invoking The Civil Rights Act (Title VII) (1964) has led to greater regulation of the employer-employee relationship by the government. The Act prohibits setting limits, segregating or classifying employees or applicants for employment in any way that deprives them of employment opportunities or otherwise adversely affects their status as employees because of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. Ethics are important in any situation involving management. HR involves people and their means of earning a living, the importance of ethics in creases.Ethical behavior is taught to students throughout their schooling. Reminders of the importance of conducting lives in an ethical manner are important. Ethics is an underlying priority to all involved in the implementation of electronic medical records. Health professionals are in favor of electronic medical and strongly believe ethics is an integral part in healthcare and technology. Health organizations must remain committed to quality, privacy, and ethics. Continuous education of employees on these issues, ethics will remain a consistent principle in healthcare and technology.Another law and regulation that is going to affect SJCRH is the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (1996). HIPPA consists of five sections or titles. Titles I, III, IV, and V address the issue of continuity and the ability to renew health insurance coverage for employees who change employers or otherwise lose their jobs, promote the use of medical savings accounts, and establish stand ards for long term care coverage. HIPAA eliminated the possibility of individuals being denied coverage because of pre-existing medical conditions. It further requires insurance companies to provide coverage for small employer groups or to ndividual employees who lose their group coverage. The significant section of HIPAA has been title 2, â€Å"Preventing Health Care Fraud and Abuse, Administrative Simplification, and Medical Liability Reform. † The Privacy Rule has affected nearly all health care plans and all health care providers. Physicians’ offices, hospitals, laboratories, pharmacies, dentists, medical equipment dealers, billing services and others providing administrative services have all been required to implement systems designed to protect patient information in all forms.All subcontractors and suppliers coming into contact with patient information must comply with the Privacy Rule. Developmental Tools Healthcare employees expect their employers to provide: Infrastructure, HR practices and support which are linked to improved performance especially in relation to patient care and service innovations. Public service values may be a strong determinant of performance as it relates to patients, moderating potential short-term adverse effects of unmet expectations of the employer. Training is imperative.There has to be a shift in the orientation of the healthcare personnel. Extensive direction is required through in-service and basic training. The perception of their role as simply delivering government health programs needs to be changed to being agents of health development. They need to be sensitive to the local needs. In addition to technical skills, they will need social skills to negotiate with other sectors, and communication skills for organization and empowerment of communities. Initial collaboration between the employee and the employer are vital.Meeting with the employer to gain an understanding of what is expected from the empl oyee from the onslaught of the relationship is a vital key to forming and maintaining conformity and cohesiveness amongst them. Establishing weekly or bi-weekly meetings would foster a positive and uniform working relationship that would ultimately benefit the organization in the long run. Best Practices What is most important in position description is the job analysis. This would include a detailed breakdown of a particular position description.It is vital that all of the most current duties of a particular position be included in this description because at some point the HR Manager will have to refer back to the details of the position. If all of the details are not included the organization is left vulnerable to accusations of discrimination (Fallon & McConnell, 2007). A recruiting best practice would be to advertise internally then externally and having local job fairs at conferences, colleges and universities. There are four (4) suggestions for recruitment and retention.One ( 1) attract a new generation of workers. Attracting younger generations to the healthcare workforce is essential to maintaining staffing levels and bringing fresh ideas to the organization. Younger generations are drawn to high-tech fields and seek work-life balance. Keep in mind the recruitment of younger workers may require a shift in traditional recruiting techniques to include such social media outlets as Twitter. Second, focus on hiring the right people. Behavior-based interviewing versus skill-based interviewing can build effective, long-term teams.Peer interviewing provides additional insight into whether a candidate may be the right person for the job. Third, seek feedback. Conduct 30- and 90-day interviews to gauge the perception of new hires. This will enable timely action if expectations are not being met. Fourth, provide a competitive benefits package. Appropriate compensation is a must, but clearly goes a long way. Organizations can enhance benefit packages by offering o n-site child care, concierge services, flex scheduling and housing allowance, among other things (Jarousse, 2012).Conclusion SJCRH is the first of its kind to benefit not only the parents because their child is being treated by the best at no cost to them, but also to the child because they are the number one priority of the hospital; not the amount the hospital can milk the family for. Some of the challenges they will face are as a result of harassment, pay increase, and Labor unions. Human Resources, the executive level of management, and the other departments are not as cohesive as they should be because they should all have the same goal in mind.The laws and regulations enacted have all been designed to protect the patient and their personal information. References Fallon, L. F. , Jr. and C. R. McConnell, 2007. Human Resources Management in Health Care: Principles and Practice. Sudbury: Jones and Bartlett, (October 2012). Hospital, St. Jude Children's Hospital Research. Quick Fa cts about St. Jude. Memphis, October 2012. Jarousse, (2012). â€Å"Best Practices for Recruitment and Retention. † American Hospital Association Health Forum: 2